


Changing Tides

by Rivermoon1970



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Canonical Character Death, Fantasy, Other, Shapeshifting, Temporary Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-21
Updated: 2017-11-21
Packaged: 2019-02-05 01:06:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12783597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rivermoon1970/pseuds/Rivermoon1970
Summary: Emily always spoke of a place by the sea. Big Sur California was not where Spencer thought he would find something that he thought he had lost...himself. It also wasn't the way that he thought his heart would heal and he would find something new, something lasting and something completely different.





	Changing Tides

**Author's Note:**

  * For [blythechild](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blythechild/gifts).



 

Title: Changing Tides  
For: Criminal Minds Reverse Bang  
Writer: rivermoon1970  
Artist: blythechild  
Beta: [DarkJediQueen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkJediQueen)  
  


* * *

**CHANGING TIDES**

 

Spencer was sitting back on a low slung lounge chair on the beach in Big Sur, California, staring out into the ocean. The gloomy day matched the mood he was currently in. The events of the last few weeks had made him question everything about himself. Including every decision he had ever made in his life. Especially when he had given his heart away after being alone for so long.

Looking up to the dark clouds as Spencer sat in that chair, book open on his lap and legs stretched out he wondered what he should do now. Thinking about Emily and the fact that she was gone was a pain that had settled deep in his very bones, and he wasn’t sure if it would ever heal. Spencer wished, more than once, that he had someone to talk to about this, someone to turn to, but the other members of his team were also grieving, just not the way Spencer was.

When Spencer swung his gaze back to the water, waves had started to churn and roll in gently. Mesmerized by what he was seeing, Spencer couldn’t help staring out and getting lost in the beauty. He didn’t know how long he had been sitting there, watching when something so strange happened Spencer didn’t believe what was right in front of him. Something was swimming out there. Something long with a sinewy body and Spencer didn’t accept what he was seeing. He was a scientist, someone grounded in reality, he was not given to flights of fancy. Oh, he loved science fiction, fantasy, and an excellent fantastical story, but he never believed they were real. Spencer chalked it up to the stress of the last few weeks. Then whatever was out there, or whatever it was he had been watching was just gone.

Closing his eyes, Spencer shook his head to try to clear the strange thoughts he was having. When he finally opened them back up, he looked out again, and this time he saw a man walking towards him. A tall, dark-haired man with long, lean muscles, broad shoulders and a charming smile on his face. Spencer’s breath was literally taken from him as he watched this beautiful man walk towards him.

“Hello.” The man’s voice was deep and almost melodic. Spencer was trying to remember how to breath, but it was becoming harder and harder the longer he took in the man’s presence.

“Can you not speak?” The man smiled, and the dimples that popped out had Spencer’s heart racing. He only remembered to speak a moment later, he had been so caught in the spell of the man that he had lost all semblance of manners.

“So-sorry. Hi. Um, where did you come from?”

The man smiled again as he sat down near Spencer.

“I live around here. I came from...” The man waved his hand towards the left where apartments banked almost against the edge of the beach. “Over there.”

Spencer looked to the side at the man and felt a small deception in what he was saying, but he wasn’t sure what that lie could be.

“My name is Aaron. I saw you sitting out here all by yourself, looking so lost and alone I had to come see what made such a beautiful creature like you so sad.”

Spencer felt the heat crawl up his neck and stain his cheeks. He had never been called beautiful by anyone other than Emily. Looking away from Aaron, Spencer sighed and tried to hold in the pain, tried to keep himself from falling completely apart. He had held it somewhat together for those first few weeks until Morgan had suggested he take time off work and try to pull himself together. Turning once more back to Aaron, Spencer felt himself pulled into whatever spell the man was weaving, and he heard himself speaking before he thought anything of it.

“I lost someone recently. I...we were lovers. I can’t believe she’s gone and I don’t know if I can go back to my old life without her.” Spencer’s eyes filled with moisture as he wrapped his arms around his waist. Aaron reached out and with the gentlest touch that Spencer had ever felt, wiped away the tears that had slipped out against his will.

“I know what it is to have lost a mate. It’s like your whole world has died right along with them, and no amount of words will bring them back and make it right. I’m sorry for your loss. It is not easy to go on when you feel so alone.”

Spencer locked eyes with this stranger, this beautiful man who gave him words that no one else had given him. Oh sure there were condolences, pretty cards with meaningless sentiments inside, but no one truly knew what he was feeling. Spencer would reflect back on the moment years later and wonder what had made him do what he did. Not thinking, not considering any personal consequences at all, Spencer crawled into the man’s lap, wrapped around him and let his grief overtake him.

Aaron wrapped his arms around Spencer, and the feeling of those strong arms pulling him close had him breaking even more. At one point, Spencer had passed out and for the first time in weeks let himself fall into the oblivion of sleep.

_______________

Waking up in a strange place should have freaked Spencer out, but he wasn’t. That right there made him wonder if he had gone insane finally after years of chasing psychopaths and having mentors, friends, and lovers taken in one way or another by the crazy.

Sitting up, Spencer could see that it was still early morning, and the room he was in may have been sparsely decorated, but it was warm and inviting. Crawling out from the comfortable covers, Spencer looked to see that he was in a pair of sleep pants and a slightly too big undershirt. Looking around Spencer tried to get his bearings as he walked to the large window that had heavy curtains covering it. Pushing them aside Spencer was surprised to see a balcony that he could step out onto. Looking out Spencer saw how close they were to the ocean. Leaning on the balcony railing, Spencer looked out and watched the gentle waves rolling in then back out again.

There was an odd sense of peace as he watched raw nature in motion, tuning out the world around him Spencer felt like he was the only one in the world at the moment. He was so focused on the rolling waves that he almost didn’t detect the glimpse of the thing he had seen the day before. That long body that played in the waves once more. Spencer wished he had a pair of binoculars to try to make out what it was. Spencer stood there for a while longer trying to make himself see what it was his eyes were focused on, but the thing, creature, whatever it was he just couldn’t make out. Giving up, Spencer moved back into the bedroom, looked around once more then decided to explore.

The apartment was rather large with three bedrooms, a living room, den, and sizable kitchen. One of the rooms had been turned into a library. Floor to ceiling bookcases was full of books. Everything from spy novels, to fantasy. Books on myths covered almost one whole bookcase with a heavy emphasis on Dragons. Spencer delighted in seeing a mix of old stories as well as new, and though he thought it might be rude, he grabbed a couple, settled into the chair in the center of the room and began to get lost in a distant kingdom that was protected by Dragons and their riders.

“There you are. I figured you might like some coffee.”

Spencer’s head whipped up and saw Aaron in the doorway to the library smiling and holding out a cup for him. Spencer uncurled from the chair he was in and walked over to his intriguing host. When he took the cup, Spencer couldn’t help that his fingers brushed against Aaron’s. That little touch made him stagger back, his breath shallowed and his body was hit with something he couldn’t quite explain. The feeling was almost electric and if Spencer were a man who indulged in flights of fancy he would say that it was magic.

“You alright?”

“Oh, oh um yeah. Yeah, I’m okay. Thank you for the coffee.”

“You’re welcome. I’m sorry you didn’t tell me your name yesterday.”

“Shit,” Spencer mumbled to himself about rudeness and manners. “I’m sorry. My name is Spencer. Dr. Spencer Reid actually. But, ah you don’t have to call me Dr. That’s just what I do, not, I mean you can call me Spencer.”

Aaron smiled again, and Spencer thought that it was going to be the absolute death of him.

“Spencer. Are you hungry?”

Spencer stood there a moment trying to get his head on straight. He wasn’t sure why the thought that his life was about to change flitted through his mind, but it was there, and Spencer chose to ignore it. Laying a hand on his stomach, he rubbed and wondered what it was he was feeling. Aaron didn’t feel like an UnSub. In fact, the man didn’t feel like anyone he had ever come across before. There was something different, something 'other' that Spencer was trying to figure out. He knew he had gotten too far into his head when his stomach rumbled loudly and it pulled him from his thoughts.

“Oh, yes. But, you don’t need to...I mean I can just go back to my hotel and get something to eat. The diner there is actually really good.”

“I don’t mind. I enjoy cooking. Come on. There’s more coffee too.”

Spencer took a sip of from the cup in his hand finally and sighed as the taste exploded over his tongue. The brew was dark, rich, and had a slightly sweet flavor that tasted like it had just come off the roasters. He had only ever had coffee like that when he and Emily had gone to Italy for a week. Thinking of Emily, Spencer’s heart clenched in his chest, but the pain wasn’t as acute as it had been. The purge from the day before may have been just what he needed at just the right time.

Spencer didn’t want to dwell on why it was he felt better now than he had in all the weeks he spent on JJ’s couch crying, trying to find some kind of solace and comfort. Even his godson hadn’t helped. It just brought home even more what it was he had lost.

“You get lost in your head a lot, don’t you?” Aaron asked as he opened the refrigerator and started to pull things out and setting them on the counter behind him.

“Yeah. My boss has tried not to let me get too far in my head when working, but it’s hard not to.”

Aaron slid some fresh salmon into a pan, and the fragrance of whatever he had put on it made Spencer’s mouth water. Potatoes were frying in another pan, and some kind of sauce was gently simmering.

“What do you do?”

Spencer was mesmerized watching Aaron in the kitchen. He had always enjoyed cooking himself. Emily had loved his cooking, it was one of their first shared experiences outside of work.

“I work for the FBI. The Behavioral Analysis Unit. We investigate serial criminals.”

“Sounds like it can be emotionally exhausting.”

Spencer looked up into dark, chocolate eyes and was taken by the compassion and intensity he saw there. No one had ever looked at him like that. Like they were interested in whatever he had to say. Other than the team, no one understood what some of the cases did to them. He still couldn’t bring himself to eat pork.

“Yes, actually it can.”

Aaron refilled his cup and silence reigned for a bit as he finished cooking. When a plate of eggs benedict with a fresh salmon fillet and asparagus with a side of fried potatoes was put in front of him, Spencer was surprised by how delicious it looked.

“Eat up. You look like you haven’t eaten very well for a while.”

“It’s been hard. Every time I would go to my kitchen to fix something to eat, I would always think of Emily. We often made meals together. I had finally been able to teach her how to roast vegetables in the pan. She was a disaster in the kitchen.” Spencer huffed a bitter laugh as he pulled the plate closer to him. He took a sip of coffee to swallow past the lump in his throat.

“It sounds like your mate was very special.”

Setting his cup down, Spencer frowned a little. That was the second time that Aaron had used that word and he wondered at its use.

“She was. But, why do you say she was my mate?” Spencer asked as he lifted a forkful of the Benedict to his mouth. The flavor explosion had him moaning in pleasure. The last few weeks food held little for him in the way of pleasure, but this, Spencer could get used to. The combination of the fresh hollandaise, with a little lemon pepper on the fish, the silky taste of the vegetables all worked together. “Oh my god, this is amazing.”

Aaron beamed as he leaned on the counter and watched Spencer eat.

“Aren’t you going to eat?”

“I had my breakfast earlier. This is for you.” Aaron pulled away and turned to grab his own cup to pour some coffee into it. He held up the pot for Spencer who just nodded his head.

“And as to your question, isn’t that what you and Emily were? You obviously loved her very much, and I assume she loved you. You cooked together, worked together, isn’t that what mates do?”

Spencer stopped eating a moment and thought about it. Smiling to himself after he carefully considered Aaron’s words he couldn’t deny that it was precisely what he and Emily had been. The word felt right, but it also made the pain worse somehow. Mate, his other half, the part of himself that had his heart. A long deep breath later had Spencer settling, but he wasn’t sure if he would ever get over feeling this pain.

“Yes, I suppose you’re right.”

Spencer finished off his breakfast with little conversation, and when he was done, Aaron quickly cleaned it all up. Sliding off the stool he had been sitting on, Spencer finally started to look around his immediate surroundings.

The living room had deep, comfortable looking couches in a midnight blue. A beautiful glass-topped coffee table that looked like it was reclaimed Beachwood, a reading chair in that same midnight blue. The walls were painted a light blue and were covered by art. But not just any art, Dragons of all kinds were represented in sketches, paintings, sculptures and more.

“You seem to like Dragons.”

Spencer was looking at one in particular. It was a painting of the ocean with a Dragon head peeking out of the waves. It made Spencer think about the things he had seen over the last day or so.

“It’s a passion of mine. I didn’t fully introduce myself. I’m Dr. Aaron Hotchner. History and Mythology Professor and Dragon aficionado.”

Spencer was surprised. He turned back to a tall shelving unit that had a variety of art pieces, but mostly Sea Dragons, Selkies, Kelpies, Seahorses, and other mythological and real sea creatures.

“You also like the ocean.”

“I do. I consider the ocean kind of my second home and playground.”

Spencer heard a bit of a mischievous tone in Aaron’s voice and wondered at that.

“If you’d like I can drive you back to your hotel. Your clothes should be out of the dryer.” Aaron moved away and went to another part of the apartment. A moment later Aaron was bringing him his clothes.

“Thank you. You didn’t have to do that.”

“It’s fine. You looked like you needed the rest and I didn’t want to disturb you.”

Spencer took the clothes and clutched them tightly to his chest. The whole last day or so had been so strange Spencer wasn’t sure what to make of it. Moving into the room he had stayed in the night before, Spencer had a thought as he set his clothes on the bed. Walking through the apartment, Spencer found Aaron at a computer in the room that was an office. Spencer frowned because he was sure that there were only three rooms main rooms, but the apartment seemed to be a lot larger than Spencer first thought.

“Aaron?” Spencer tentatively knocked on the open door as he stepped closer.

“Yes?” Aaron looked up as he pushed away from the computer.

“Just how did I get here in the first place?”

Aaron ducked his head a little as he lifted his brows.

“I um. I carried you.”

“You...” Spencer was a little shocked at that. The beach where they had met wasn’t far, but it wasn’t that close either. And, Spencer estimated that they were at least 10 floors up.

“Yes, Spencer. I carried you from the beach. I’m stronger than I look. I tried not to wake you because you looked exhausted after you collapsed in my arms.”

“Oh.” The heat was back as Spencer felt it in his cheeks.

“I’m just returning some of my student's e-mails. If you want to get dressed, I’ll be ready by the time you are done.”

Spencer nodded then went back to the room where he quickly dressed. He found the bathroom that was connected between two of the rooms and freshened up as much as he could. Looking around the lavish space, Spencer saw more of the Dragon motif. The walls were a sea green and painted on them were beautiful underwater scenes of kelp and coral beds. Caverns with Sea Dragon faces peeking out. In one section a beautiful long Dragon was moving through the water. His fins and scales in exquisite detail. The dragon was all manner of blues, greens, vibrant yellows and tipped here and there with red and gold. Spencer almost reached out to touch, the scene was so vivid.

Shaking himself out of the half-trance he had fallen into, Spencer finished up then exited the bathroom to find Aaron sitting on one of the couches with a tablet in his hands.

“Ready?”

Spencer almost didn’t want to leave. He had felt safe and cared for in the man’s presence, but he also knew that he was taking a lot of risks even being in a stranger's apartment. Aaron, though, had not felt like a stranger. Spencer couldn’t put his finger on it, but instead of voicing what he really wanted, he nodded his head.

“Yeah.”

“I’m headed to the bookstore in town, would you like to go with me? I find that I don’t really want our day to end just yet. I’d like to get to know you a little. That is if you want to.”

Spencer fidgeted a little unsure of what he really wanted. When Aaron stood and grabbed a messenger bag and stuffed the tablet in his hands in it, Spencer’s eyes widened, and he remembered what it was he had been forgetting.

“Oh shit.”

“Something wrong?”

“I don’t know what happened to my bag.”

Spencer looked near panicked when Aaron bent down and picked something up and held it out for Spencer.

“Is this it? I wasn’t sure at the time and wondered if it was yours. I grabbed it after going back down to make sure you didn’t have anything other than your chair and blanket. I have those in my car.”

“Oh, um thank you.” Spencer grabbed his messenger bag from Aaron and slipped it over his head. He almost laughed at how the both of them looked. When all Aaron did was shake his head and chuckle, Spencer smiled and thought that spending the day with the odd man sounded just like the thing he needed.

____________

One hour turned into two, which turned into lunch on a pier with big bowls of shellfish in a spicy sauce and a large basket of fresh bread to soak up the juices. Lunch then turned into coffee and a treat near a little art gallery that Aaron wanted to see if they had anything he might be interested in. Spencer was surprised when he had found a ceramic artist who carved intricate geometric patterns on their pieces. He bought two vases. They were bright and colorful. One was the atomic pattern of clay and water which made Spencer chuckle. Aaron bought a beautiful platter that had a Dragon in the middle of it.

Shopping turned into dinner. Aaron ordered them a bottle of wine and an appetizer. For his main meal, it was pasta in a light olive oil and chopped tomato sauce. There was a mix of seafood including calamari, baby octopus, clams, and shrimp.

“Do you only eat seafood?”

Aaron swallowed the bite he had taken and appeared to be thinking about it for a moment.

“I guess I do. I’m not much of a beef eater, though I do enjoy a hamburger on occasion. Fowl isn’t really appealing to me. Now, vegetables, those I can eat all day long. I think it might be the fact that I have such an affinity for the ocean.”

“So you’ve always lived near water?”

Aaron sipped his wine and stared at Spencer rather intensely.

“You could say I was practically born in it.”

Spencer wanted to laugh, but there was something in Aaron’s tone that gave him pause. If he were a man that indulged in fantasy, he could believe that Aaron was telling him a fact.

“Can I ask what you got your doctorate in?”

Aaron set his wine down and leaned on the table a little.

“World History, and World Mythology.”

“Those two things don’t seem like they would go together.”

“Really? Not even when the early Greeks lived their lives by the stories of the deeds of their Gods? Or how Roman and Christian religions clashed causing chaos and destruction? The Vikings riding out to glory for their own Gods on some of the first seaworthy vessels? Humans forget that much of their early rise was steeped in myths and religions. That many civilizations were built specifically to have a place to worship.”

Spencer sat back in his chair and thought about all he knew of religion and history and realized that much of what Aaron was saying was true.

“That’s true. So much of what we know from those early times is couched in their beliefs.”

“And many of the people you hunt, don’t they often say that their God told them to do it? Myths are still all around us, but we have chosen reason and science. Which isn’t a bad thing, but there is a lot we can learn from those myths.”

Spencer felt Aaron’s gaze like a weight. Heavy and exciting at the same time. Spencer had not felt like this in a long time. Not since Emily had joined the team. Something inside him stirred as he looked deeper and deeper into those eyes. Eyes that seemed to sparkle and change right before him. Spencer’s heartbeat sped up, his pulse quickened, and for the first time in months, he wanted. He knew it was crazy. He had not even known Aaron more than twenty-four hours, but those hours had changed him somehow, but he just wasn’t sure how.

Aaron broke away first when the waitress came back to their table, and he ordered coffee and dessert. The conversation was subdued, but still, they talked about anything and everything. Spencer was both elated and impressed by the things Aaron knew.

When the check arrived, there was a profound sadness that Spencer felt in the pit of his stomach. He didn’t want to leave this man. He wanted to stay, at least for the night. Which scared him a little because that was so unlike him. He never did anything without over-thinking it first. Like when he had tried to ask Emily out for the first time. He was bungling it so badly because he was too much in his head over it. When she took his hand and said yes, Spencer had felt that his whole world got just a little brighter.

“You know, Spencer, I feel something between us. I don’t know what it is, but I like you, probably more than is healthy after just a day. If you’d like, will you come back with me?”

Spencer bit his lip and looked Aaron in the eyes, there was no hesitation on his part when he gave his answer.

“Yes.”

Aaron smiled and after paying the check took his hand and led him back to the car. Spencer barely remembered the drive to Aaron’s apartment and getting inside. All he knew was how his body was reacting. How his heart hadn’t stopped beating hard in his chest, or how his pulse raced. When he was finally naked and laying on the bed in Aaron’s room, Spencer barely saw anything around him. It was like he was in a dream, or a trance.

The hands on his body made him suck in his breath, a tongue and unusually sharp teeth glided down his over sensitive skin. He cried out at the gentle breach of his hole. It was like Aaron was claiming him, possessing him and Spencer allowed it. Going with what felt good, Spencer wrapped his legs around Aaron’s waist making the man moan in pleasure as he pushed in and out, guiding the both of them closer and closer to that glorious release.

Spencer was trying to find purchase for his hands on slick skin. He felt scars all down Aaron’s back, but then let that thought go as their coupling turned frantic.

“Ceart-lath,” Aaron breathed against Spencer’s skin, then he was being bent practically in half to let Aaron kiss him. The kiss was like nothing Spencer had ever felt before. Lips so soft and gentle kissed him with a passion Spencer had rarely felt before. He had the thought that if this continued for much longer, he would shatter under the assault of pure unadulterated sensation.

Spencer was so close, he just needed something more, he wasn’t sure what, to push him over that edge. Words in a language he didn’t understand were whispered against his neck as those lips kissed down towards his shoulder. He didn’t know why, but the words, Spencer felt deep inside him like they were connecting him to something bigger than himself.

“Come for me, gràidhean.”

Spencer gripped Aaron’s shoulders as he thrust up, his cock, trapped between their bodies, ached to obey the command. A scrape of teeth over his neck and Spencer was shouting as he held on. The orgasm was near painful in its intensity. Aaron stilled above him, a cry escaped his lips telling Spencer that he had also found his release.

Opening his eyes, back-up Spencer saw those sparkling eyes once more before he fell onto the bed and was falling asleep in seconds. A tiny part of his mind was still awake, and Spencer could swear he heard whispered Mine against his hair as a kiss was placed there. A moment later, Spencer knew no more.

_______________________

Standing on the balcony of Aaron’s bedroom and watching the water had become routine. Spencer was still trying to figure out what it was he saw out in the waves, but his mind could not comprehend what it was.

Days were filled with time spent in town or holed up in libraries as Aaron went to teach. Lunches were often on that same picturesque pier. Nights were spent in a passionate embrace, Spencer stopped noticing the passage of time. One day, as he and Aaron were sitting there eating breakfast, Spencer knew something was very wrong.

“Graidhean? Something wrong?” Aaron asked as he bit into his toast.

Spencer stood and started to look around the room. The two vases he had bought were displayed as was a large bookcase filled with books. Books Spencer had bought over...frowning to himself Spencer stood and found his messenger bag and inside was his cell phone that he had been ignoring for some time. Pulling it out, he saw that it was dead.

“Aaron, how long have I been here?”

Spencer frowned as he watched the man stand and come over to him.

“Why do you want to know?” Aaron’s eyes sparkled with curiosity and not anger.

“I...” Setting his bag on the couch Spencer went from room to room and saw clothes, books, papers, toiletries that were all his. When he came back into the living room, there was a touch of fear that coiled down in the pit of his stomach.

“What is going on here, Aaron?” Spencer crossed his arms and glared at the man he had been falling in love with. He thought that Aaron was going to lie to him.

“Spencer, the evidence is all around you, but you refuse to see it. As to how long you’ve been with me? Six months.”

Spencer stood stock still and tried to wrap his head around the fact that he had been there longer than he assumed.

“What?! What did you do?”

Aaron turned and walked out to the balcony off the kitchen and stood looking at the ocean. Spencer wondered if he was going to come back in, but when he didn’t Spencer went out to him. He was trying to understand his feelings. Spencer knew he should be furious, and scared, but at the moment he wasn’t. He wanted to know what was going on more than he wanted to be angry.

“I lost my mate to the world many, many years ago. She wanted more. Not material things, but experiences. She wanted something different in her life, and I allowed it. I let her go, let her find herself. She promised she would come back to me someday and I waited for her to keep her promise.

“One day she did come back, and the joy I felt was like nothing I had ever felt before. By that time, I had decided to see what it was that intrigued her so and for a few decades have walked the land as a man. We were happy together during those years, then that wanderlust came upon her again. I let her go knowing she would eventually return. When she came back that time, she said she found someone that was beautiful and special. She wanted to explore her feelings for him, at least for awhile and again I let her. A human lifespan is nothing in our eyes. And I know the fickle nature of my kind. We saw each other as often as we could in between times, then, she was gone. I couldn’t feel her anymore inside me. The tether we had with each other was gone, and the pain was like nothing I had ever experience in my life.

“Then you showed up on my beach, and I wondered, was this fate? Was this my mate’s doing? And then you were there in my lap, grieving as I was. My mate’s mark was all over you, and I wanted to know what it was she had seen in you.” Aaron turned to Spencer who gasped when he looked at the man's face.

“Wait, are you telling me that my Emily was your, what spouse?”

“Spouse, that is such a human concept. We are soulmates. Two halves of each other. We knew when were very young we would be together for as long as we lived.”

“But, she’s dead. Emily is dead!” Spencer screamed at Aaron as he tried to wrap this all around his head. “I don’t know what kind of sick game you are playing with me, but I don’t appreciate it. God, how could I have been so fucking stupid?

“How did you do it? GHB? Sodium Pentathol? What? Some kind of mind control?”

Aaron moved closer to Spencer and cupped the side of his cheek.

“No. I didn’t drug you or control your mind. Just a trick of time, Spencer. I couldn’t have kept you with me if you didn’t want to be here. The spell would have broken many weeks ago. But, you wanted this, you held onto what we were building together and only now allowed yourself to begin to see the truth.”

Aaron turned his back to Spencer who stood there devastated. His heart was breaking yet again as someone he thought he loved was telling him it was all a lie.

“I’ve not lied to you Spencer. You are my Gràidhean. Another part of me and I’m not sure why. I thought I was complete with Emily, even with all of her wanderings. The only way that is possible is if you have Dragon blood in you that hasn’t yet woken-up.”

“This, you know this sounds crazy, right?” Spencer didn’t move from his spot as he watched Aaron who was still out on the balcony.

“You don’t believe that there are wondrous things in the world that defy explanation?”

Spencer shook his head. He tried to stay grounded in reality. He needed to stay grounded in reality. What Aaron was saying made no sense to him.

“And if I told you that I am more than the man you see before you, you would still not believe?”

Spencer crossed his arms around his waist and tried to hang on as he looked up at his lover.

“No. No this isn’t real. What you’re saying can’t be true.”

“Even though the evidence is right in front of you?”

Aaron moved towards Spencer, stripping off his jacket and shirt. Then he pulled his undershirt off and stood there looking at Spencer.

“You’ve never asked me about the scars, Spencer. You’ve never asked because I could see you fighting what you know to be true. But, that beautiful mind, the science you so believe in tells you that what you think you know can’t be true. But, you’ve questioned it. Wondered if you were becoming like your Mother, which you aren’t. Here,” Aaron grabbed Spencer’s wrist and pulled the man close. “Touch them. Feel them, Spencer.”

Spencer let out the breath he had been holding and with shaking fingers let them wander over the scars on Aaron’s body.

They weren’t scars!

Spencer was shaking. Everything he thought he knew about the world was being questioned as he continued to touch Aaron’s body.

“You know what they are, Spencer.”

Spencer shook his head, not wanting to tell himself the truth. He wanted to go back to his old life to get back to reality and put the last few months behind him. Then he let his eyes lock with Aaron’s and there in the depths of those dark eyes that glowed almost like a crystal, Spencer once more broke. Aaron was there to catch him and hold him close.

“No, no, no, no!” Spencer pulled away and glared hard at Aaron. He still didn’t want to believe because if he did, it would shatter his whole worldview. “Just, just stay away from me.” Spencer turned and grabbed his messenger bag and ran out the door without looking back.

Reaching into his bag, Spencer found his gun. Slipping that into his pocket just in case, he then pulled out his phone. For some strange reason, when he left Aaron’s apartment his phone came on. Frowning, Spencer looked at it and saw how many messages there were both text and voicemail.

Spencer knew he needed to find a spot and listen to some of them to find out what the hell was going on. He also noticed the date, and that Aaron was right about that. Six months. He had been gone from his life for six months. Running onto the beach, Spencer didn’t see the storm clouds brewing or the surf churning as he found a spot that hopefully hid him from view.

Pulling up the messages, Spencer saw they were all form Morgan and JJ. Both were worried sick about him. They were looking for him, but it was like he had disappeared. Clearing the texts, Spencer listened to the voice messages, which were variations on the same thing. Some more frantic than others. With shaking fingers, Spencer dialed JJ.

He got her voicemail, and Spencer tried not to take his frustrations out on the phone. He left a message hoping she heard it soon.

“Spencer!” Aaron’s voice came to him loud and clear. Standing, Spencer pulled his gun out of his pocket, checked it over, clicked off the safety and stood. Holding his weapon loosely by his side, Spencer started to run onto the beach.

The clouds were getting darker, the surf was churning up even more. Spencer saw more than heard Aaron coming towards him. Holding up the gun, Spencer pointed it at Aaron.

“Don’t come any closer.”

Aaron looked out to the ocean, and his eyes widened as the storm rolled in ever closer.

“Spencer, please come back inside. I promise no more glamour, no spells, no tricks. But, it’s dangerous for you to be out here. Please, I won’t hurt you. I’ve never wanted to hurt you.”

“But you did! You lied to me! You said you love me and you kept me like some kind of PET!” Spencer screamed as he backed up, making Aaron look panicked as he ran forward. Spencer cocked his gun and shook his head.

“Don’t come any closer.”

“Spencer please, I’m begging you come back inside.” The first pelts of rain came down on them, but Spencer kept his aim right on Aaron. The waves behind them were getting bigger and bigger. The fear on Aaron’s face didn’t deter Spencer he stood there, trying to figure out what was real and what wasn’t.

“Please just leave me alone.”

“Spencer, I didn’t lie. I never lied to you. I fell in love with you. I’m sorry about the spell, I am, but like I said to you, it wouldn’t have worked if you hadn’t wanted to stay here. You made the decision, not me. Magic doesn’t work like that. If I had tried to use magic to keep you, it would have hurt me, but it didn’t. You had the power to leave anytime you wanted.”

“I don’t believe you!” Spencer shouted as tears ran down his cheeks, and he held the gun at Aaron’s head.

“Did I ever lock the door?”

Spencer’s was breathing hard, his heart pounding and his pulse racing as he tried to keep the gun steady.

“No.” Spencer watched Aaron take a step closer to him.

“Did I keep you from doing anything outside of the apartment?”

Spencer ground his teeth together trying to hold onto his anger, but couldn’t figure out who he was actually angry at.

“No.”

“Is there anything I did that forced you, Spencer? In all of our conversations, all of our confessions, was there any coercion of any kind?”

Tears ran down his face as Aaron took another step closer. The storm was beginning to rage all around them, the surf was getting higher and higher.

“No...” Spencer’s hands started to shake as he tried to keep the gun steady. Aaron took another step closer, and Spencer backed up. Aaron stopped as Spencer’s foot got too close to where the surf was crashing onto the beach. Foamy spray from the water hit the both of them as the rain picked up.

“Why did you choose to stay, Spencer? Your car is in my garage. Your keys are in plain sight. You’ve had freedom. You could have left anytime you wanted to. While I was teaching, or in meetings. Why did you choose to stay?”

Spencer didn’t move from his spot as Aaron got closer and closer to him. The tears still ran down his face as the truth slammed hard into him. He had chosen to stay. Going back to the real world meant facing life without Emily. And, if Aaron were to be believed, he was a connection to her. He had seen the photo albums and the many pictures on Aaron’s computer. Spencer hadn’t wanted to believe, but there was part of him that hoped it had all been real. Because if it was real, and Aaron had known Emily, then Spencer had something to hold onto. Falling in love was just a pleasant side effect.

“Give me the gun, Spencer. We’ll go back inside and talk.”

Spencer’s head snapped up to look Aaron in the eye.

“If you’re telling the truth, then show me. Show me NOW! Aaron, what you are.”

“Spencer this is not the time. This storm is getting dangerous, we have to go back inside.”

“If you want me to go back with you, SHOW ME!” Spencer was shouting as the noise from the storm was picking up.

Aaron closed his eyes and looked resigned. Sad eyes met Spencer’s as he slowly took off his now wet jacket, tie, shirt, and shoes. Stepping into the raging waters, Spencer’s felt his eyes go huge as he watched the scene before him. He had not really thought this through as he stood shivering, his emotions in turmoil like the world around him was. For a moment he was scared. Scared that Aaron was precisely who and what he said he was. Terrified that he wasn’t and the surf was going to take him out to sea. Spencer realized what he was asking as he darted forward and tried to grab Aaron’s hand to bring him back to shore.

Aaron smiled a sad smile as he took off his pants and flung them aside. Then the waves rose up as Aaron stretched his arms up one minute he was there, the next the wave had pulled him into the ocean.

“Aaron!” Spencer screamed and knew what he had done. He had pushed a man suffering from some kind of bizarre delusion into getting himself killed. Spencer sank to his knees not knowing what to do as he sat there, pain and grief over losing yet again churned up inside him. Spencer knew he had reached his breaking point. There was no going back for him as he stood, yelling for Aaron to come back to him as he took steps closer and closer to those dangerous waves.

Tears fell even faster as rain pelted him. Spencer looked up and saw the wave coming at him. Closing his eyes, he was resigned and would let the ocean take him as it had taken Aaron.

When he felt something sweep him up and hold him close, then skimmed across the top of the water, Spencer freaked out. Cracking one eye open, Spencer was confronted with the truth that he had denied all these months.

Aaron was a Dragon. And not just any Dragon, but the one painted on the bathroom wall. A beautiful Sea Dragon that moved through the water like he commanded it. Spencer was shivering, he wasn’t sure if it was from being confronted with the truth, or if it was from the cold and wet. Reaching out he touched the Dragon’s flesh, feeling the smooth scales and curling up in the wing he was being held in against that cold, but achingly familiar body.

“You bastard,” Spencer yelled tearfully, but a sense of joy washed over him as they skimmed the water and got closer and closer to the apartment. It was too much for Spencer to comprehend and when they touched down onto the beach once again, Spencer collapsed. He was aware this time when human Aaron picked him up and carried him upstairs. Spencer just wanted something hot to thaw the cold that had seeped into his very bones.

_______________________

After a hot shower, a cup of tea and some hearty soup, Spencer was feeling physically warm again. His heart though, was bruised and battered as a cold he had only felt after Emily died had seeped inside him. The storm raged on outside, and Spencer thought it perfect that it fit the mood he was in.

“You have questions.”

Aaron didn’t ask, he didn’t need to, Spencer knew the face he was making was full of all the questions he had. Almost too many to comprehend all at once.

“Am I going crazy?” Spencer blurted out as he gripped the cup in his hand.

“No, Spencer. You aren’t going crazy. I’m a Dragon. I only became human because I wanted to know what it was my...well her true name you couldn’t pronounce. She chose Emily because to her it sounded joyful.”

“So, magic is real?”

Aaron smiled that smile that had made Spencer’s heart melt the very first time he had seen it.

“Yes. You know it’s real, Spencer. You’ve denied it your whole life, but why do you think you are drawn to illusion and science. They are both a kind of magic.”

Spencer set his cup down, pulled the blanket he had around him tighter and stood. He needed to do something other than just sitting there.

“Why are you so sure that I’m what you think I am?”

Spencer felt the weight of Aaron’s gaze on him as he paced. He was being given his space, and he knew it.

“Because I couldn’t have fallen in love with you if you didn’t have the Dragon inside you. We may take humans as lovers, but Dragons’s rarely if ever fall for them. Our lifespans have made many of us jaded over the centuries. But, there is also something inside of us that won’t let us love those who are not Dragon.”

“So, Emily?”

Aaron got a soft, sad look in his eyes.

“Yes. She is like me.”

“I want to hate you for putting me through all this, but I don’t.” Spencer’s shoulders slumped as he walked towards the window off the open kitchen. Looking out at the raging storm, Spencer contemplated his life. Every single aspect since he was a child. His awkwardness, his mother’s illness, how fast his mind worked and how he loved hearing his mother read to him stories of myth and fantasy. There was always something there niggling at the back of his mind pushing him, telling him he was more than. Spencer never understood it, because he never truly understood who he was.

Spencer closed his eyes and felt strong arms wrap around him.

“You are more than you think you are, Spencer. You just have to believe. You have to find it inside of yourself and only then will you become what you are.”

Spencer knew Aaron was right, he just didn’t know how.

Staying in Aaron’s arms held close Spencer knew his life had already drastically changed. He didn’t want to go back to his old life, and that realization was like a kick to the gut. He wanted to stay, to figure out who he really was.

Turning around in Aaron’s arms, he laid his head on Aaron’s shoulder and pulled the man closer to him.

“Emily had always talked about this place in the quiet at night. She wove such beautiful stories that I just had to see it for myself. Did she lead me here?”

“I think she did. She wanted us to meet. I believe that she saw in you what I do.”

Aaron laid his chin on top of Spencer’s head. When he went stiff in Aaron’s arms, Spencer frowned.

“What is it?”

“I...don’t know.” Aaron let Spencer go and walked towards the balcony. He saw something out in the storm that Spencer wasn’t able to. “Stay here, Spencer.”

“Where are you going?”

“Just, please stay here and don’t try to follow. You aren’t strong enough to endure the storm.”

“And you are?” Fear gripped Spencer’s heart as he watched Aaron open the door to the balcony, then jump down. Running to see what was going on, he saw the change to Dragon, and it unlocked something deep inside him. He felt a stirring but wasn’t ready to explore yet what it was. Spencer waited as he watched the man...Dragon, he loved flying towards through the storm with ease. Aaron dived down, and it was several very long minutes that Spencer watched and worried that something terrible was going to happen.

Then, almost like a bad romance movie, which made Spencer giggle hysterically, Aaron was walking back to the apartment with something, or someone in his arms. The dark hair and the tall frame was familiar, but Spencer didn’t want to believe it. He didn’t want to believe what he saw, even when Aaron finally walked inside.

“How?”

“It is tough to kill a Dragon. But, I thought she was gone as well. Come help me, Spencer.”

“What do you need?”

“Get a warm bath going. And if you could get me some more blankets. I don’t...” Aaron looked almost ready to break, and Spencer was a little unnerved to see the ordinarily strong, stoic man on the verge of emotional overload.

Spencer went right into action and gathered the blankets first and wrapped Aaron and Emily up in them as Aaron cradled her close to him. Spencer was afraid to touch, fearful that what he was seeing was real.

After getting them settled, Spencer went to the bathroom and started a warm bath. Taking a moment, he tried to get his overtaxed emotions under control. When he walked back to the living room, Emily had come to.

“Em?” Spencer stood there afraid to move, worried that he had finally lost his mind all together and he really had gone crazy.

Emily was curled up on Aaron’s lap, holding onto him. Lifting her head, she looked right at Spencer.

“Spence.” Reaching her hand out towards Spencer he took it as he sank to the floor and cried.

_________________________

After a warm bath and some hot tea, Emily was curled up on the couch leaning against Aaron with Spencer laying down with his head on her stomach, fingers curled on her robe covered leg. The three of them were trying to understand their emotions as they held onto each other.

“What happened, Leannan?” Aaron asked as he carded his fingers through Emily’s drying hair. Spencer was watching, waiting with bated breath to hear the answer as well.

“It was Doyle, Aaron. He came after me.” Spencer saw Aaron’s face pinch, and the man started to swear in old Gaelic. Spencer only understood a couple of words here and there. “He stabbed me, and when the team found me, I was bleeding out. I couldn’t change, not then at least. When at the hospital it was JJ who came to me about hiding me till Doyle was caught. The State department and even some higher-ups in the FBI decided to protect me.

“It was out of my control at that point, but when I hit Germany, I knew I had to find you. I was able to get to water, change and I’ve been making my way here ever since. I know JJ had an alert out on my whereabouts. I finally contacted her and said my goodbyes. I found out then that Spencer was also gone and I just knew he was here.”

Spencer saw the tears in Aaron’s eyes as he held Emily in his arms. He didn’t know what to say yet, so he stayed where he was and stayed silent for the time being.

“Are you done running, Leannan?” Aaron’s voice was choked with emotion as his grip tightened around Emily’s waist.

“Yes. I’m done. I’ve seen all I wanted to see, done all I’ve wanted to do. I want to go home, Aaron.”

Taking a deep breath, Aaron smiled as he kissed the top of her head. Spencer wasn’t sure what that meant, he just hoped they took him with them. He didn’t want to live alone again. He had found two people he could love for the rest of his life, but Spencer was so unsure of the future that he held on a little too tight. He hoped the next day would give him the answers to the questions he was afraid to voice.

________________

JJ and Morgan stood on the shore of Clare Island, part of Mayo County Ireland. The mysterious message left to them by Spencer had instructions to meet there, and a few things would be explained. The day was gray and gloomy with a storm on the rise. The Island was beautiful and wild, the population small, but the house that they were instructed to go to was large and exquisite.

Spencer had been excited to recount the history of the Island, and its connection to the Pirate Queen Grainne O’Malley. JJ laughed a little when Spencer rambled on in the message he had left.

Morgan gripped JJ’s arm and pointed to something out in the ocean. Three shapes playing in the waves but were indistinct from their surroundings. Or, human eyes refused to acknowledge what they were seeing. JJ lifted her hand to block out the sun that was bright as it peeked through the dense dark clouds. Something about the shapes mesmerized her, she couldn’t take her eyes off of them as they came closer and closer to the shore.

Then as if out of some strange fantasy novel come to life, the shapes came ashore, and JJ would have sworn they were some kind of Dragons. Shaking her head because it was too fantastical to believe even as she watched the Dragons turn human. Two of them were people she knew.

JJ’s heart was pounding hard in her chest as one of the humans ran up to her, curly hair flopping in his face, his eyes held a lightness and joy she hadn’t seen in him in far too long. The smile he gave her lifted her spirit as he grabbed her and spun her around in his arms. JJ buried her face against his neck as she cried in joy to see her friend once again.

“Spence,” JJ cried as she held onto him as tightly as she could.

“Jayje. We have so much to tell you.”

JJ looked past Spencer to see Emily smiling as she held the hand of a little girl, and the tall, handsome man that took up the rear was carrying a boy of about eight or nine in his arms as they came closer.

“Emily.” Morgan smiled as he pulled her into his arms and hugged her.

“Morgan, JJ. Come meet Aaron, our mate. And this is Aiolain and Jack.”

“Wow. I think we do have a lot to talk about.”

“Papa?” Jack looked at Aaron, then the two strangers.

“It’s okay, little Sprite, these are Spencer’s friends.” Aaron held out his hand first to JJ, then to Morgan. “Come on, and I’ll fix breakfast, and we’ll tell you a tale of love, longing, family, and Dragons.” Aaron’s smile widened as Emily wrapped an arm around Aaron’s waist from one side, and Spencer from the other. JJ watched the family turn around and walk towards the house on the shore and followed with Morgan next to her. She wondered and knew that whatever she was thinking was probably far less magical than the truth. She couldn’t wait to hear their story.

  
  
  
  
  
  



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